Bengaluru: Dr Chandragouda Dodagoudar's life is an amazing journey of unimaginable accomplishments all along the way entangled with odds and an uphill task. Presently Dr Chandragouda Dodagoudar is the Director-Medical Oncology and Unit Head at the BLK-MAX super-speciality hospital on Pusa Road in New Delhi. Another interesting aspect is that he is one of the sought-after Oncologists in the country.
Poverty-stricken family with meagre means: In a free-wheeling interaction Dr Chandragouda Dodagoudar recalled the hard old days and the struggle throughout his stint as a student- "The life as a kid was very tough. I was the eldest one at home with two younger brothers and a younger sister. It was a poverty-stricken peasant family with meagre means to run the show. Not that we had no lands in the native village near Hubballi Taluka in Karnataka state, but whatever we owned was not in our possession as it was pledged to a rich person in return for availing loans...
...A hazardous task to manage: To begin with, it was a multi-thronged hazardous task even to make both ends meet. Our father used to leave for Hubballi, early in the morning work throughout the day on a daily wage basis as a coolie and return home late in the evening. The predicament of our mother was no better as she was forced to go to the fields of others in the village to make a living. That is how the journey started...
...A mud house covered with cow dung: The condition of our house was no better, it was a mud house covered up with cow dung and definitely there were no lights. If I were to recollect those days, I had to read with the help of a lantern light up to my seventh standard. So, it was a very very difficult time as I desperately wanted to be educated irrespective of the odds all along the way, to achieve something in my life. That actually is a triggering factor...
...Getting educated was the only way out: Somehow I realized that getting educated was the only way to help our parents, brothers and sister to come out of whatever adverse situation we were going through. So, till then there was only one doctor in our village and while I was pursuing my education there was another guy who got an MBBS seat. These were some stimulating factors to develop an urge within myself to nourish a dream of becoming a doctor...
...Thanks to the BCM Hostel: Due to the challenging situation prevailing, it was becoming very difficult to study at home. At such a juncture came an opportunity in the form of the BCM Hostel known as the Backward Classes and Minority Hostel, wherein if you are economically weak you get into the hostel free of cost. So, that got stuck into my mind and I went and got enrolled into the hostel. It was a game-changer for the betterment of my career and a nice feeling after emerging first in every subsequent examination...
...I also want to be an Engineer: As a villager, you really do not know where the journey takes you further despite topping the class continuously. You know you need to become a doctor, but to become a doctor you do not know what to study! I still remember the incident when our class teacher in the 8th standard was wondering what we would like to become later. One of my friends replied that he would like to become an Engineer, and when it was my turn I also repeated the same without much thinking. That was the typical directionless stage of life then...
...But a fire in me to achieve something: However, there was fire within for striving to achieve something. Amidst all the difficulties we had, maybe it is financial, social as well as emotional, we still were determined to achieve something. So, in that respect, my parents although they were daily wage earners supported me a lot. I studied in the Kannada medium at our village school until the xth standard and bagged the first rank in the 10th class, helping me to get a seat in the Hubballi Science College...
...Raghavendra Deshpande and Mohan Bentur: To complicate matters, I wasn't even aware that there exists something like the last date for admission to the college. Thanks to my good percentage marks and the magnanimous attitude of the college principal I at last got an admission where I met two beautiful friends of mine and whom I still love to move around and spend time with them. They are Raghavendra Deshpande and Mohan Bentur, my closest buddies. Whenever I have something to share out of my heart I will definitely share with them...
...Free PCM tuition in the second year: For the 11th standard I used to commute daily from my village and remained in Hubballi for the 12th standard. Luckily for me having stood second to the college, I requested my teachers for free tuition in PCM, for which they consented. I completed the two-year Pre Degree Course with flying colours ensuring me a seat in the MBBS...
...The challenge of paying Rs 11,000/- fees! Now, it may look strange upon hearing this. But the issue was then a real big problem to me those days. The annual fee for MBBS was then Rs 11,000/- and to pay the same had become a Herculean task as no huge loans were available then. While undergoing such a challenge I was rescued by another Godfather, L S Harti, my Mamaji who used to take care of my expenditure and I also got a little bit of loan from the Bank. L S Harti's name has to be mentioned as it was he who stood by me taking care of the majority of the expenditure. Thanks to such noble gestures, I could complete my MBBS...
...Worked day and night to clear loans: Once I completed my MBBS, I got a job in the Primary Health Centre (PHC). Ideally, it is not a bad job but basically, I wanted to achieve more and I never wanted to do it at that stage. Moreover, I had a lot of loan burden on me which had to be cleared and for which I went to Delhi and worked day and night, ultimately freeing myself from the clutches of loans. At home also there was some stabilization...
...Free PG seat in Bellary Medical College: Simultaneously, I was preparing for my Master's and got into MD Medicine from Government College at Bellary in a free quota as I was studying and got a rank in the entrance examinations. After MD, I met my beautiful wife who is from Delhi. She is a blessing in my life and she supports me in all my causes. She knew of my background and still accepted me and we got married. It was she who pushed me hard to diversify in Oncology. So, that is how the journey of Oncology started and after three years of study in Oncology I was involved with some of the reputed institutes of Oncology in Delhi, like the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, and now I am the Director of Medical Oncology and Unit Head at the BLK-MAX super-speciality hospital on Pusa Road in New Delhi. That is the story in a nutshell and the reason for recalling them in detail is to become a motivating spirit to all those village folks aspiring to become doctors and not give up the fire within, irrespective of the disadvantageous conditions", signed off Dr Chandragouda Dodagoudar.
-Manohar Yadavatti
Sir, your heartily words very well spoke n ,inspiring students not only from rural areas and also urban students who suffer from poverty. The fire within to develop and progress is most important. Best wishes Dear Doctor in your future career. From A anant Deshpande. Dharwad.
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